Pharmacy technicians like Sara Dreyer have taken on more responsibility since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and now that vaccines are available in communities across the United States, the role of the pharmacy technician is even more pronounced.

Loren Bonner

Alis Volat Propriis—“She flies with her own wings”—is Oregon’s state motto. The government first adopted the slogan in 1854 as a hat tip to the independent spirit of the pioneers who formed Oregon’s first government.

Sonya Collins

A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on the care of American Indian and Alaska Native children and adolescents highlights the inequitable disease burden observed in this patient population.

Maria G. Tanzi, PharmD

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, a tertiary teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada, might have a thing or two to share about preventing mental health distress and burnout. Members of the hospital’s psychosocial
oncology division developed and implemented CREATE—Compassion, REsilience And TEam-building—to help support the mental health of health care staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clarissa Chan, PharmD

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago,” a Chinese proverb says. “The second-best time is now.”

Rachel Balick

Pharmacists’ vital role as vaccinators and health educators has even greater significance this year as the nation continues the massive effort to vaccinate the population against COVID-19.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) received the following reports of injection and wrong-route errors that will likely happen again unless risk reduction strategies are implemented.

Institute for Safe Medication Practices

New and relatively low-priced at-home COVID-19 tests are now available at local pharmacies and can also be shipped directly to a patient’s home.

Clarissa Chan, PharmD

The potential cardiac effects of lamotrigine were added to its label late last year, and in March 2021, FDA released a drug safety communication highlighting the increased risk of arrhythmias in patients with heart disease who use lamotrigine.

Maria G. Tanzi, PharmD

The shift to quality-based incentives continues to emerge in pharmacy. The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) is currently working to develop pharmacy measures for A1C and blood pressure reporting; adherence to medications for hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes treatment; and antidepressant medication management.

Loren Bonner